,3M Filtek Supreme Flowable not only has a solid track record as a durable restorative material, but it also now features a new syringe design that reduces voids and bubbles, ,
,Dr. John Weston considers himself a “dedicated 3M user,” and as such, he has relied on the company’s products for years. So, when 3M Filtek Supreme Flowable hit the market, he didn’t hesitate to implement it into his practice. Beyond coming from a trusted partner, Dr. Weston also liked the fact the material featured a microfill component, allowing him to provide patients with strong restorations that polished beautifully., ,He’s been using the flowable as part of a complete 3M restorative solution for years and continues to achieve fantastic results. “You can trust it,” Dr. Weston said. “You know it’s going to be strong, and that it’s going to polish well and last.”, ,Dr. Weston turns to this material for a variety of indications, including placing it as a liner under direct composites and using it for the “snowplow” technique, where the uncured flowable material expresses into the imperfections of the cavity prep when packable composite is placed on top., ,
, ,“This is a quality restorative material that’s backed by a reputable company.”,– John Weston, DDS, FAACD, ,He also uses the material for Class V restorations at the gumline in areas that have abfractions where tooth structure is missing. Because it has higher flexural strength than packable composites, it works well in these situations. It’s also great for cosmetic mockups., ,“It has a self-leveling component, so you can use it to mockup facial and incisal edges or anterior teeth,” he said. “It’s a nice, easy material to use when you want to show patients what more length would look like on anterior teeth or if you want to add to a provisional. If you’re using a 3M Protemp provisional material, you can use the flowable with it; it’s very compatible and polishes really well. All the 3M composites have the microfill technology, so they all polish nicely and work well together.”, ,Bubble formation can be a challenge when placing flowable materials, Dr. Weston said. They tend to form while the composite is being expressed and, if cured into the material, can lead to air pockets that not only look bad, but that collect plaque and debris. The restoration becomes difficult to maintain, impacting its longevity., ,3M has engineered a new syringe tip that addresses this issue, Dr. Weston said. The triangle finger plate and plunger also make the syringe more comfortable to hold and easier to inject, significantly reducing bubbles in the composite—a huge advantage over other flowables., ,The flowable material is available in a variety of color options for optimal esthetics, Dr. Weston said, as well as an opaquer material that can be used to block out stained areas under fillings., ,“We place A30 under all of our amalgam replacement restorations where we’re taking out old silver fillings,” he said. “The opaquer blocks out color from coming through so there’s no question if there’s decay forming under an old composite. Blocking that dark color out also looks better to the patient.”, ,3M Filtek Supreme Flowable can bring a variety of benefits to your practice as well as your patients, particularly when used in tandem with other 3M products. Patients leave your practice with durable, beautiful restorations, making them happy with the experience and the outcome., , ,“This is a quality restorative material that’s backed by a reputable company,” Dr. Weston said. “We also use 3M adhesives, composites, and luting cements, and we know they are all deigned to work well and to go together, so we get better clinical results for our patients.”
